The Olympique de Marseille midfielder described the stopper as an "overweight ladyboy" on his Twitter account after the Ligue 1 leaders' Champions League clash with Barcelona on Tuesday.

"Joey Barton has been summoned by the ethics committee and will be heard on 15 April," the committee's president, Laurent Davenas, confirmed to Reuters on Thursday.

Barton has been involved in a spat with Thiago Silva ever since he posted remarks criticising the standard of Brazil starlet Neymar, along with other members of Luiz Felipe Scolari's squad.

Marseille issued a statement on Wednesday apologising to PSG and their defender, acknowledging that Barton's remarks were "inappropriate" and revealing they have asked the former Manchester City man to put an end to the dispute.

Barton is on loan at the Ligue 1 side from Premier League side Queens Park Rangers.